September 2018

When Laura Shoun’s students returned last month to Southside High School in Greenville, S.C., the biggest change to her classroom was something they barely noticed. And Shoun is completely fine with that.
Like many teachers, Shoun is used to equipping her students with pencils, paper and other tools of learning, often out of her own pocket. Most of the students in her physics classes live at the poverty level, in single-parent homes. Some have parents in jail or who abuse substances. Some are foster children, live in hotels or are, at times, homeless.
“The last thing they need when they come to school is another challenge,” Shoun said.
Physics is a hands-on kind of subject. Students often work together in teams to build...